Guest post from Dee
Ann Turner:
Ann Turner:
The best business leaders have a keen sense of purpose thatdrives their work. Ideally, they also have superior products and services that
support that purpose. But noble purpose and brilliant products won’t get you
far if you don’t have the right people to deliver them.
In other words, our who matters even more than our what and our why.
That makes selecting talent the most important task of
today’s leader. It’s also the most difficult. So many managers don’t understand
how to use the hiring process not just to fill a position, but also to truly
add value that enriches and complements the company’s culture.
today’s leader. It’s also the most difficult. So many managers don’t understand
how to use the hiring process not just to fill a position, but also to truly
add value that enriches and complements the company’s culture.
I have worked at Chick-fil-A’s corporate headquarters for
more than 30 years. I’ve spent most of that time as Vice President of Corporate
Talent, and my decades of experience and devoted personal study have led me to
believe that hiring is an art, not a science. While that may seem daunting at
first, especially to those of us who crave facts and precision, it’s actually great
news. Hiring as an art abandons robotic coldness in favor of human intuition.
When we combine our instincts with finely honed processes such as behavioral
based interviewing, we can achieve game-changing results.
more than 30 years. I’ve spent most of that time as Vice President of Corporate
Talent, and my decades of experience and devoted personal study have led me to
believe that hiring is an art, not a science. While that may seem daunting at
first, especially to those of us who crave facts and precision, it’s actually great
news. Hiring as an art abandons robotic coldness in favor of human intuition.
When we combine our instincts with finely honed processes such as behavioral
based interviewing, we can achieve game-changing results.
In my new book It’s My Pleasure: The Impact
of Extraordinary Talent and Compelling Culture, I share secrets
behind the exceptionally effective business model Truett Cathy pioneered when
he founded Chick-fil-A in 1946. Truett’s entrepreneurial philosophy was way ahead
of the curve. Over the years, he emphasized to me time and time again that our
business was not about numbers, growth, or even chicken. To Truett, Chick-fil-A
was always about people.
of Extraordinary Talent and Compelling Culture, I share secrets
behind the exceptionally effective business model Truett Cathy pioneered when
he founded Chick-fil-A in 1946. Truett’s entrepreneurial philosophy was way ahead
of the curve. Over the years, he emphasized to me time and time again that our
business was not about numbers, growth, or even chicken. To Truett, Chick-fil-A
was always about people.
In the midst of a fluid labor market in which individuals
move from company to company with expected regularity, Chick-fil-A’s corporate
staff retention rate has remained at 95-97% for almost 50 years. I believe that success can be traced
back in part to how we hire. Here are six guideposts to smart, soulful hiring,
shaped by Truett’s people-first ideology:
move from company to company with expected regularity, Chick-fil-A’s corporate
staff retention rate has remained at 95-97% for almost 50 years. I believe that success can be traced
back in part to how we hire. Here are six guideposts to smart, soulful hiring,
shaped by Truett’s people-first ideology:
1.
Think
hard about the role and carefully craft its description. How can you use
the new hire to address current weaknesses that may be slowing your staff down?
Try also to think about the future instead of just the present.
Think
hard about the role and carefully craft its description. How can you use
the new hire to address current weaknesses that may be slowing your staff down?
Try also to think about the future instead of just the present.
2.
Expand
your search. In It’s My Pleasure, I call it “casting a wide net.” Different perspectives and experience from
other industries can bring invaluable new energy to your team.
Expand
your search. In It’s My Pleasure, I call it “casting a wide net.” Different perspectives and experience from
other industries can bring invaluable new energy to your team.
3.
Practice
behavioral based interviewing. Behavioral based questions push candidates
to draw on how they’ve responded to situations in the past. Instead,
interviewers often ask questions that can only be answered hypothetically,
which is not the best way to learn how someone will actually act.
Practice
behavioral based interviewing. Behavioral based questions push candidates
to draw on how they’ve responded to situations in the past. Instead,
interviewers often ask questions that can only be answered hypothetically,
which is not the best way to learn how someone will actually act.
4.
Check
references. Too many managers do not follow up with references thoroughly. This
calls for more than just verifying employment: Take the time to ask about past
performance, which we know is the best indicator of future performance.
Check
references. Too many managers do not follow up with references thoroughly. This
calls for more than just verifying employment: Take the time to ask about past
performance, which we know is the best indicator of future performance.
5.
Talk the
candidate out of the job. Once you have decided to offer a candidate the
position, try to talk them out of accepting. This may sound counter-intuitive,
but it is an excellent way to gauge the individual’s level of passion and
determination for both the role and your company.
Talk the
candidate out of the job. Once you have decided to offer a candidate the
position, try to talk them out of accepting. This may sound counter-intuitive,
but it is an excellent way to gauge the individual’s level of passion and
determination for both the role and your company.
6.
Make a
commitment to the new hire. Once the job has been accepted, do all you can
to ensure the new employee’s success. They are your investment: Use the time
and resources necessary to help them grow into the position.
Make a
commitment to the new hire. Once the job has been accepted, do all you can
to ensure the new employee’s success. They are your investment: Use the time
and resources necessary to help them grow into the position.
In It’s My Pleasure, I explore each of these suggestions in greater detail, along with other proven
hiring techniques. While there are no one-dimensional solutions to the
challenge of recruiting and sustaining extraordinary talent, we can hold on to
one simple truth: When we put people at the center of our strategies, we gain
so much more than added sales. One person at a time, we build a thriving,
compelling culture that extends far beyond business hours to impact the lives
of everyone who comes into contact with it.
hiring techniques. While there are no one-dimensional solutions to the
challenge of recruiting and sustaining extraordinary talent, we can hold on to
one simple truth: When we put people at the center of our strategies, we gain
so much more than added sales. One person at a time, we build a thriving,
compelling culture that extends far beyond business hours to impact the lives
of everyone who comes into contact with it.
That is Truett Cathy’s legacy, and one that is well worth
trying to emulate.
trying to emulate.
About Dee Ann Turner
Dee Ann Turner is Vice President,
Corporate Talent, for Chick-fil-A, where she began her career more than 30
years ago. Her first book, It’s My
Pleasure: The Impact of Extraordinary Talent and a Compelling Culture,
reveals never-before-shared secrets behind building and maintaining
Chick-fil-A’s revolutionary business model. Dee Ann believes people are the
most powerful commodity in any organization, and companies that recognize the
value of individuals can succeed not just ethically, but financially as well.
In addition to serving on the boards of the Kenya Project and Proverbs 31
ministry, the married mother of the three is also active with a variety of
family-focused missions that support women and children.